Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) on Wednesday released a discussion draft of
legislation that aims to add privacy protections and greater
transparency to the authorization of aerial drone flights within the
United States.

“When it comes to privacy protections for the American people, drones are flying blind,” Markey said in a statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration has currently authorized about
100 different entities to fly drones domestically. The number of law
enforcement agencies and other entities authorized to use drones is
expected to rapidly increase thanks to a FAA funding bill passed this
year. The FAA plans to allow for the deployment of privately-operated
drones within the United States by 2015 and as many as 30,000 drones
could be in operation by 2020.

“Drones
are already flying in U.S. airspace – with thousands more to come – but
with no privacy protections or transparency measures in place,” Markey
added. “We are entering a brave new world, and just because a company
soon will be able to register a drone license shouldn’t mean that
company can turn it into a cash register by selling consumer
information.”